Replenishing-loom



E. A. AND 1. V. CUNNIFF.

REPLENlsHlNG Loom.

APPLeCATIoN FILED DEc.1z.1912. 1,375,036. v Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

Il SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. A. AND l.' V. CUNNIFF.

REPLENISHING LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 12. I9I2.

Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

l1 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. AND 1. V. C UNNIFF.

REPLENISHI'NG Loom.

APPLICATION `FILED DEC. l2, i912.

Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

Il .SHEETS-SHEET 3- Wv'Iv/essefs; 4515016066 @.W ffmZa/M- l PatentedApr. 19 1 21.

A 11 SHEETS-s 'T4- E. A. AND J. V. CUNNIFF.

, REPLE-NISHING L'ooM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 12, 19l2. 1,3755036. Patented Apr. 19, 1921;

Il SHEETS-SHEET 5.

E. A. AND J, V. CU'NNIFF.

REPLENISHING LOOM.

APPLICATIQN FILED M012, 1912.

Patented Apr. 19, v1921.

Il SHEETS-SHEET 6.

E. A. AND J. V. CUNNIFF.

REPLENISHING LOOM.

APPLICATION FILED ngc. I2, I9I2.

Patented Apr. 19, 192Lk Il SHEETS-SHEET 8.

@Q I A@ 'Ill/Il lllllllllll 3|-. w www,

im m7 E@ m@ YM w,

E. A.. AND 1. V. CUNNIFF.

REPLENISHING LOOM. 'APPLICATION FILED DEC. I2. 1912.

Patentef Apr. 19, 1921.

II SHEETS-'SHEET 9- WZ zno E. NAND I. 'V. CUNNIFF.

REPLENISHING Loom.

APPLICATION -FILED DEC. I2. 1912.

Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

1| SHEETS-SHEET10| E. A. AND l. V. CUNNIFF.

REPLENISHING LOOM.

APPLICATION FlLED 05u12. 1912.

Iii

9o fr nii-tany stars @enr EDWARD A. CUNNIFF, OF NEVI BEDFORD, AND JOHNV. CUNNEF, OF FALL RIVER,

JIASSACH'SETTS, ASSEGNORS TO JAMES K. LANNING, OE BOSTON, MASSACHU-sums.

intense.

Specification of Letters Patent.

REPLENISHING-LOOM.

Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

To all tu hom t may concern Be it known that we, EDWARD A. CUNNIrr and.l HN V. CUNNIFF, citizens of the United States, and residents,respectively, of New Bedford and Fall River, in the county of Bristoland State of Massachusetts, have invented an improvement inReplenishing- Looms, of which the following description, in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, is a speciication, like characters onthe drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to replenishing looms, and particularly to loomswherein the running shuttle is ejected upon substantial exhaustion ofthe filling.

ln order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood,a single embodiment thereof is disclosed in' the accompanying drawings;whereinv Figure 1 is a front elevationof' a single box loom having theinvention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 isa left hand end elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1;

ig. 3 is a plan view of the breast beam, lay and associated parts at theindicating side of the loom;

Fig. i is a iront elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section upon the line Fig. 3;

Fig.. 6 is a transverse section taken through the shu tle box, the layand associated parts and representing the action or" the filling feelerduring the normal running of the loom;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, but rep'- resenting the action ofthe filling eeler and associated parts upon substantial exhaustion otthe iilling;

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail of the filling feeler and sprin g actuating.ieans therefor;

F 9 is a front elevation oi a portion oi the shuttle replenishingmechanism, representing the shuttle box in running position;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9, but representing the replenishingshuttle as in-- serted upon ejection of the running shuttle; Fig. 11 isa plan view of the construction shown in Fig. 9;

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section on the line 12-12 of Fig. 10;

Figs. '13, 11i and 15 are vertical sections upon the line 13-13of Fig.9,7and representing different positions of the parts prior to and duringthe shuttle replenishi'ng operation.; f

Figs. 16, 17 and 1S are views respectively corresponding to F igs. 13,14 and 15, but

taken upon the line 16-16 of Fig. 9;

F ig.'19 is a plan View of a portion of the mechanism for lifting theshuttle box for shuttle replenishment;

Fig. 2O is an end elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 19 lookingtoward the left in said iigure;

Fig. 21 is a side elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 19;

Fig. 22 is a detail of the cam and cam lever represented in Fig. 21, butshowing a different position of said parts;

Fig. 23 is a detail in plan showing the thread parter mechanism; and

Fig. 24e is a detail in side elevation and transverse section of theconstruction shown in Fig. 23. Y

The purpose of the invention is to replenish the loom preferably uponsubstantial exhaustion of the filling, that is, upon exhaustion to apredetermined extent. lf desired, replenishment may also occurupon weftfailure. The replenishment is eected by ejecting the\running shuttlefrom the loom and substituting the spare shuttle, although, regardingthose aspects of the invention involving` the use of the intermittentlyacting' thread parter or the use of the secondary eeler, or both, theinvention is not limited to shuttle replenishing, as hereinafterdistinctly set forth in the claims. While the invention is not limitedto the type of loom herein shown, it is peculiarly serviceable forapplication to a'looin having a single shuttle box at each side; inother words, it is peculiarly adapted to a plain loom operating with asingle color of weft. In the simplest aspect of the invention, such aloom is equippedwith means for sup porting a single extra or spareshuttle, whichu when the weft is substantially exhausted isautomatically inserted in the shuttle box tak ing the place of therunning shuttle which has just been ejected from the loom uponsubstantial exhaustion of its filling.

mechanism Referring more particularly to the drawings and first to Figs.l and 2 thereof, the end frames of the loom are represented at l--l, thebreast beam at 2, the lay at 3, the crank shaft at 4, the connecting rodbetween the crankshaft and lay at 5, the cam shaft at 6, the weft camthereon at 7, the picker sticks at 8 and the picker stick brackets at 9.rlhese parts may be and preferably are the usual type or construction.

inasmuch as preferably the spare or extra shuttle is inserted for weftreplenishment Y upon substantial exhaustion of the filling, there willfirst be described one form of filling feeler that may and preferably isemployed as a cooperating portion of the weft replenishing mechanism, itbeing understood that any other suitable form of filling feeler may beutilized. Said filling feeler is not, however, specifically claimed inthis application, but is specifically claimed in our copendingapplication filed on even date herewith, Serial No. 736,285.

WReferring first to Figs. 4 to 8 inclusive, upon the left hand end ofthe lay 3, there is provided a shuttle box back 10` and a shuttle binder11, the latter being pivoted at 12 upon the lay.

A guide 13 is provided for the free end of the shuttle binder, and ashuttle binder spring 14 preferably of usual construction is alsoemployed. rlh'e shuttle is indicated at 15. The shuttle binder 11 isprovided with an opening 16 for the filling feeler, to be hereinafterdescribed, and the shuttle itself is provided with an opening 17 in itslateral wall for the same purpose.. nasmuch, as the shuttlereplenishment occurs at the opposite side of the loom from thatrepresented in Figs. 3 and 4, the binder and shuttle boxat the saidright hand side of the loom may be `and preferably are of usualconstruction, excepting for the slot 16 in the binder 11.

Positioned Hatwise upon theV breast beam 2 is a guide 18 for the weftfork slide 19, the latter having mounted thereon a tilting weft fork 2()preferably of usual construction. Adapted to co-act with the innerhooked end 21 of the werft fork is a pawl 22 pivoted at 23 upon thebreast beam and adaptedto be swung upon its pivot by a rod 24 pivotedthereto at 25 and operatively connected as shown in Fig. 2 to the wefthammer 26. The said weft hammer 26 is operated in the usual manner bythe weft cam 7 upon the cam shaft 6. ln this form of the invention,there is employed an extension or bracket to support certain of theoperating parts of the directly associated with the feeler mechanism.Herein there is represented an angled bracket 27 secured to the upperface of the breast beam by bolts 28 passing through said bracket andthrough the guide for the weft fork slide, thereby a securing said partsto the breast beam. The said bracket 27 is represented in Figs. 3 and 4as adjustable or extensible, it, for that purpose, being provided withan extensible piece 29 secured to the under face of the main bracketpiece by bolts 30 passing through slots insaid parts, so as to permitlongitudinal adjustment. ln this manner, the attachment may be appliedto various sizes or forms of looms.

Upon the outer end of the bracket 27 is mounted a standard or bracket 31having uprights 32 provided with alined bearing openings, wherein thefeeler 33 is adapted to slide transversely of the shuttle. rlhis fillingfeeler is provided with a head 34, which passes through the opening 16of the binder and the' corresponding opening 17 in the shuttle wallandkengages the filling 35 upon the bobbin or other weft carrier at asuitable point, preferably at or near the base thereof. rllhe fillingvfeeler 33 is normally held against the filling in any suitablek manner.For that purpose, there is herein represented, as shown in Fig. 8, anarm 36 extending transversely of the feeler and suitably secured theretoat its outer end. The said arm 36 is threaded into a cap or socket 37mounted upon-a base 38, the said socket and base being secured to thebracket extension 29 by a screw 39 passing axially through the socket.Surrounding the screw 39 and attached at its ends to the socket and baserespectively is a coiled spring 0, the winding of which is such as toproject the feeler 33 outwardly toward the shuttle. Undue outwardmovement of the feeler 33 is prevented by engagement of the arm 36 withone of the uprights 32, as represented in Fig. 7.

Coperating with the feeler 33, there is herein shown as preferablyprovided a socalled secondary fork or secondary feeler. rlChis member isindicated at 41 inFigs. 6 and 7, as a light lever pivoted at 42 and paritaking somewhat of the form of an ordinary weft fork. This secondaryfork or feeler removes all strain of shuttle replenishment from thefeeler 33, and therefore the latter does not contact with the filling 35of the shuttle with such force as to impair in any way the condition ofsaid filling or to prevent the filling being properly fed from theshuttle during the normal operation of the loom. The spring 40 ispreferably a light one and the feeling contact of the feeler with thefilling 35 is at all times a light contact. rlhe said secondary fork orfeeler is pivoted as described upon a horizontal lever 43, which isitself pivoted at 44 upon the bracket 27. The pivot for the said lever43 is provided with a coiled spring 45 which is so connected with thelever and its pivotal support that the said spring tends normally tomove the outward or right hand end ofthe lever (viewing Figs. 3 and 4)toward the lay of the loom. The said lever 43 may be provided with anextensionl 46 attached to the main body of the lever by bolts 47 passingthrough slots in the parts, thus permitting longitudinal adjustment ofsaid lever corresponding to the longitudinal adjustment of the bracket27. Y

The opposite or left hand end of said lever 43 takes under an arm 48pivotally connected with sufiicient freedom of movement at 49 to a rockarm 50 fast upon a rock shaft .51, the latter being mounted in suitablebearings beneath the breast beam of the loom, as indicated most clearlyin Fig. 1. This rock shaft extends to the opposite side of the loomwhere it is connected to the shuttle replenishing mechanism hereinafterdescribed.

rThe left hand or inner end of the lever 43 is rounded or otherwisesuitably formed, as indicated at 52 in Fig. 5, so as to take under thearm 48 and to co-act with the shoulder 53 upon the under side thereof.The outer or free end of the arm 48 is provided with a downturned end 54which is here shown transversely in line with the inner hooked end 21 ofthe weft fork 20. The pawl 22 is made sufiiciently broad to engage andco-act with either or both the hooked end 21 of the filling fork 2O andthe downturned end 54 of the arm 48, thereby to stop the loom uponbreakage of the filling and to replenish the weft carrier or shuttleupon substantial exhaustion of the filling, and if desired also toreplenish upon breakage of the filling.

The secondary fork or feeler 41 is represented as bent upwardly as shownin igs. 6 and 7, so as to provide a shoulder 55 in advance ofl itspivot'42 to be engaged by the near end 56 of the feeler 33, as indicatedin Fig. 6. y

Upon each beat-up of the lay, the head of the filling` feeler 33 entersthe shuttle as indicated in Fig. 6 and contacts with the filling uponthe bobbin spindle or other carrier. So long as the filling upon thecarrier has not been exhausted to that predetermined extent at whichshuttle replenishment is designed to occur, the filling feeler 33 ismoved axially outward upon its support against the stress of the spring40 by the said filling, and in so moving the said end 56 thereofcontacts with the shoulder 55 of the secondary fork or feeler 41 andtilts the same upward into the position shown in Fig. 6. This actionrequires but a light engagement of the filling feeler 33 and thesecondary feeler 41.

lVhen the filling has been exhausted to a predetermined extent, asindicated in Fig. 7. then upon the next beat-up of the lay, the fillingfeeler 33 is no longer moved For Jthe engagement of the end 57 of thesecondary fork or feeler to initiate Vthe shuttle replenishing action,there is Vhere represented as provided upon the outer wall of the binder11 a plate 58 adjustably secured in Vposition by bolts and nuts 59,thereby permitting the position of said plate to be accurately gagedwith respect to the face of the binder. The said plate is represented asnotched or grooved at 60 for the engagement of the end 57 of thesecondary fork or feeler.

The weft fork slide 19 has at its rear end a downturned extension 61,against which bears a finger 62 sleeved as indicated at 63 upon the rockshaft 51. The sleeved outer or lower portions 63 of said finger areprovided with a set bolt 64, whereby if desired the sleeved portion 63of said finger 62 may be made fast upon said rock shaft 51. The saidbolt 64 may, however, be sufficiently loose so that rocking movement ofthe finger 62 is not transmitted to the rock shaft 51, in which eventweft replenishment will not occur upon weft breakage, but merely loomstoppage, for which purpose the usual dagg r and co-acting parts areprovided. If, however, the finger 62 be tightened upon the rock shaft51, then weft replenishment will occur upon either substantialexhaustion or weft breakage.

So long as the filling hasnot been exhausted to the describedpredetermined extent, then, upon each beat-up of the lay, the fillingfeeler 33 is moved axially and tilts the secondary fork or feeler 41 asindicated in Fig. 6. When, however, the filling has been exhausted tothe predetermined extent, then upon the next beat-up of the lay thefilling feeler 33 remains substantially quiescent or does'not rock thesecondary fork or feeler 41, with the result that the end 57 of thesecondary fork or feeler remains in the path of and is struck by theplate 58, and thus swings rearwardly the right hand or outer end of thelever 43 (viewing Figs. 3 and 4).

This action correspondingly moves the inner rounded end 52 of the lever43 inward toward the lay of the loom; that is, slightly to the right ofthe position indicated in Fig. 5. This movement of the lever 43 carriesits inner end 52 from under the shoulder 53 of the arm 48 sufiicientlyto let the downturned end 54 of the said arm come into the path of theswinging pawl 22. Upon the next actuation of the said pawl 22 by theweft hammer 26 of the loom, the said arm 118 is moved rearwardly or tothe left, viewing Fig. 5, .and hence rocks the shaft 51, and thereforeinitiates the movement of the weft carrier replenishing mechanism at theother side of the loom.

The pawl 22 not only co-acts with the downturned end 5d of the arm 18,thereby to replenish upon predetermined exhaustion of the filling, butthe said pawl also co-acts with the hooked end 21 of the filling fork20, which in the usual manner is tilted so long as the weft is present,but remains untilted when the weft breaks. l/Vhen the weft breaks, thepawl 22 engages the said hooked end 21 of the weft fork and consequentlymoves the weft fork slide 19 rearwardly or toward the left viewing Fig.5. lf, now, the finger 62 be fast upon the rock shaft 51, as bytightening up the bolt 611, then it is evident that the rock shaft 51 isrocked upon breakage of the weft and that shuttle replenishmenttherefore occurs upon breakage of the weft. Preferably, however, forplain looms or looms working upon the cheaper grades of cloth, it is notdesirable to replenish the shuttle or filling carrier upon weftbreakage. Tt is preferable to stop the loom upon such contingency.Therefore, preferably, the linger 62 is not tightened upon the rockshaft 51 when making the cheaper grades of cloth, but if desiredreplenishment may occur in either contingency. Tf it be not desired toreplenish upon weft breakage, then the usual dagger and co-acting partsare provided upon the lay in order to stop the loom upon weft breakage.This stop mechanism may be of any suitable character and associated inany suitable way with the weft hammer mechanism, but is not hereinshown, as it does not of itself constitute any part lof the presentinvention.

lShuttle replenishment preferably occurs at the side of the loomopposite that where the filling finger 33 is provided. ln this form ofthe invention, there is, at such opposite side of thel loom, provided asingle shuttle box represented as provided with a back wall 65, and abinder 66 which may be spring pressed in the usual manner, as by meansof a spring 67 shown in Fig. 1. The shuttle box ispreferably providedwith a sloping bottom 68 below the race 69 of the loom, as representedmost clearly in Figs. 13 to V18 inclusive. The said shuttle box isprovided with a cover 70 normally downwardly spring pressed by a coilspring 71, shown most clearly in Fig. 9. This cover 70 is pivotallymounted upon an upward extension 72 of the lay. Upon the back 65 of theshuttle box are provided a suitable number of lugs 73 having cam frontfaces, which when the shuttle box is raised for shuttle ejectment, risethrough openings 74 liftingcam 75 shown most clearly in'Figs.

2, 21 and 22. The cam shaft 6 turns in a. clockwise direction. Upon aVbracket 76 upstanding from one of the end frames 1 of the loom, there ispivotedat 77 the shuttle box lifting lever 7 8. To the outer end of thisshuttle box lifting lever ispivoted at 79 a link 80, the lower endwhereof is pivoted at 81 to block 8.2 on the lower end of the shuttleboi: lifting rod 63, which at its upper end is connected to the underside of the shuttle box, as indicated at 811 in Fig. 1. This lifting rod83 is guided at its upper end in the lay as indicated at 85, andadjacent its lower end it is provided with an adjustable collar 86adapted at the limit of itsv downward movement to engage the upper faceof the bent end 87 of the picker stick bracket 88, the said bent end 87being provided with a suitable the shuttle box rod 83.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 19, 21 and 22, the hub 69 of the boxlifting lever 7 6 is provided with an upward extension 90 upon the upperface whereof is pivoted at 91 the replenishing lever 92, lthe outer end93 whereof extends below the replenishing cam 7 5, as indicated mostclearly in Figs. 21 and 22. When the loom is operating normally, thesaid replenishing lever 92 is so positioned that its outer end 93 islaterally beyond the replenishing cam 75, as indicated most clearly inFig. 19. Therefore, during the normal operation of the loom, the earn 75does not act upon the replenishing lever 92, the latter remainingquiescent. Vfhen, however, the rock shaft 51 has been moved either bythe indicating action of the weft fork or of the secondary fork orfeeler 41, then the outer end 93 of the replenishing lever 92 is broughtinto the path of the replenishing cam 75. W7hile this positioning of thereplenishing lever 92 may be accomplished in any suitable manner,preferably for the purpose the right hand of the rock shaft 51 isprovided with a crank 9i to which is pivotally connected the upper endof the upright connecting rod 95, shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and 20.The lower end of said connecting rod is pivoted at 96 to an arm 97 of abell crank 98 pivoted at 99 upon an upwardly extending bracket 100bolted at 101 to the side frame of the loom.

guiding opening for` roe The opposite arm 102 of the said vbell cranklever 98 extends upwardly in substantial parallelism with an upwardextension or bracket103 of the replenishing lever 92, as shown mostclearly in Figs. 20 and 21. l

`When the rock shaft 51 is rocked as previously described, theconnecting rod 95 is drawn upward, thereby rocking the bell crank lever93 in a contraclockwise direction, viewing Fig. 20, and bringing the arm102 thereof into engagement with the extension or bracket 103 of thereplenishing lever 92, thereby moving the outer end 93 of the latterinto the path of rotation of the replenishing cam 75. Thereupon in itsfurther rotation, the replenishing cam v75 engages the .said outer endlof the replenishing lever 92 and lifts the shuttle box through the de#scribed connections to eject the running shuttle and substitute thespare shuttle therefor.

The said replenishing motion of the replenishing lever 92 is transmittedto rthe shuttle box lifting rod 83, by the link 80, as shown mostclearly in Figs. 20 and 21. To this end, there is bolted to the lever 78near its outerend at 105 a bracket 106 provided with a transverse'slot107 wherethrough the replenishing lever 92 passes, as indicated mostclearly in said figures.

When the rock shaft 51 is rocked, the replenishing lever 92 is through.the described connections slightly rotated upon its pivot 91, the saidlever sliding` inthe slot 107 toward the left viewing Fig. 20. When thereplenishing kcam 75 engages the outer end 93 of the replenishing lever92, it rocks the latter together with the box lifting lever 78 about thepivot 77 of the latter, as indicated most clearly in Figs. 21 and 22,thus lifting the shuttle box rod 83 and the shuttle box back and binderfor the ejection of the running shuttle and the substitution of thespare shuttle. Y

The loom arch 10S or other suitable part of the framing, as representedin Fig. 2, is provided with a bracket 109 bolted thereto or otherwiserigid therewith and having suitably secured to its outer end a dependinbracket 110 of general U-shape and having opposite arms 111, 112provided with suitable bearings wherein is mounted a rock shaft 113.Upon the rock shaft113 are mounted the spare shuttle supporting meanswhich normally occupy an inactive position, represented in Figs. 13 and16. In order to maintain'said shuttle supporting means normally ininactive position, there is herein provided a coiled spring 114, one endwhere-l of is fast to a collar 115, itself secured by set bolt 116 tothe rock shaft 113, the opposite end of said coil spring 114beingconnected to the arm 112 of the bracket 110, as indicated at 117. Afterthe spare shuttle supporting means are moved into replenishing positionas hereinafter described and the shuttle replenishment has oocurred,thenthe coiled spring 114 returns the spare shuttle supporting means to itsinactive position indicated in Figs. 13 and 16. ln order to prevent therook shaft 113 from being swung too far rearwardly or into inactiveposition by the action of the coilspring 114,

121 and upon the adjacent ends of the rock Y shaft 113 are hubs 122 madefastby set bolts or in any other suitable manner. The rearward faces ofsaid hubs 122, as, shown most clearly in Figs. 13, 14 and 15, areprovided with bosses 123 having tapped or otherwise secured thereinrearwardly extending pins 124, whereon are pivotally mounted spareshuttle supporting arms 125, 126, both of which are shown in 9 and 10.Each i of these shuttle supporting arms 125, 126 is normally inwardlypressed by means of springs 127 coiled about the pins 124 and having oneend thereof fast to the upper end of the arms 125, 126 and the otherends thereof secured to collars 123 made fast by bolts 129 torpins 124.The winding of said springs 127 is such as normally to move the lowerends of the shuttle retaining arms 125, 126 inwardly toward eachother orinto the position shown in Fig. 9.. Near their lower ends the arms 125,126 are provided with small recesses 130 wherein are received tho endsof the spare shuttle 131, which is thus supported while the loom isrunning normally. ln order to prevent the shuttle from turning in thesupporting recesses 130, there may be provided upon one or both of thearms 125, 126, suitable (io-acting means. Herein the arm 126 isrepresented as provided with co-acting plate springs 132 which graspbetweenthem the sides of the shuttle 131 and retain it from rotation,

As shown most clearly in Figs, 10, 13, 14 and 15, the rock shaft 113 hasfast upon one end thereof a rigid depending arm 133 which extendsdownwardly nearly to the upper end of theshuttle box, as indicated inFig. 13, but just clearing the lay in its swinging movement during thenormal operation of the loom. .Whem however, the shuttle box has beenlifted as previously described, upon indication of substantialexhaustion of the filling, then the binder of the shuttleboX is broughtto a higher level than the lower end of said arm 133, so that upon theforward or vbeat-up movement of the lay, the said arm 133 is engaged bythe shuttle binder 66,

and parts supported thereby are rocked into the position indicated inFig. 15. This roclring movementl o-f the shaft 113 and parts supportedthereby occurs during the forward or beat-up movement of the lay, thelatter, the shuttle box and spare shuttle supporting arms all moving asone. Upon the described upward movement of the shuttle box the lugs 73upon the inner face of the back thereof rise through the holes 74 in therace plate 69 and eject the ruiming shuttle 134 which is shown in itsrunning position in Fig. 13, and which is shown as ejected in Fig. 14.The arms 125, 126 are provided with lateral extensions 135 preferablybeveled as indicated at 135 in Fig. 12, and which during the forwardmovement of said arms 125, 126 engage the lower outwardly turned ends136 of the arms 111 and 112, thereby pressing said arms 125, 126outwardly against the stress of their springs 127, or from each other,thereby causing them to release the spare shuttle 131.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 12, the shuttle box binder 66 at thereplenishing side of the loom is pivoted at 137 to the end portion 138of the shuttle box wall, the spring 67 bearing against the outer surfaceof the binder in the usual manner. In order to eject the running shuttlefrom the loom, it is, in this embodiment of the invention, important tothe most effective operation that the shuttle binder be released orwithdrawn from binding engagement with said shuttle, thus permitting theshuttle to drop or be discharged freely from the shuttle box. ln orderto move the binder from the running shuttle, there is preferably boltedor otherwise secured near the inner end of the shuttle box wall upon theframe of the loom a bracket 138 having` an inturned end 139 terminatingin or having secured thereto a cam plate 140 shown in edge view in Figs.9 and 10 and in side elevation in Figs. 16, 17 and 18. rl`he said camplate being stationary, the shuttle box when lifted by the rod 83 movesupwardly past the same, as indicated in Figs. 16, 17 and 18. |Theshuttle binder 66 has a tip end or extension 141 extending slightlybeyond the vertical plane of the cam plate 140 and normally outside thelower point 142 of the said cam plate, as indicated in Fig. 9. As theshuttle box and its binder k66 are elevated for shuttle ejection andshuttle replenishment, the said binder 66 rides along the outer edge 143of the cam plate 140, as indicated in Fig. 17, thus withdrawing the.binder from the spent shuttle and permitting the latter to bedischarged from lthe shuttle box by the action of the lugs 7 3, aspreviously described. The construction and timing of the parts are suchthat when the supporting arms for the replenishing shuttle are broughtinto alinement with the said shuttle box and the spareA shuttle is thusIbrought between the shuttle box back 65 and the shuttle binder 66, thelatter has reached the upper point 144 of said cam plate 140 and is thenpermitted to be moved inwardly by the stress of its spring 67 so as toengage the spare shuttle and bind the same against the back wall of thebox. ln the continued movement of the parts, the shuttle box is drawndownward with its binder until the spare shuttle is brought onto therace 69 of the loom, thus making said shuttle the running shuttle andreturning the parts to normal position, as indicated in Fig. 16.

The timing and construction of the parts are such'that as the binder 66is released and moves inwardly to engage the spare` shuttle 131, theholding arms 125, l126 for Y the latter have been withdrawn as describedfrom the tip ends of the shuttle, thus permitting the shuttle to descendreadily withV the descending shuttle box. 1n order, however, that thedescent of the shuttle box may be rapid enough to withdraw thereplenishing shuttle 131 below the recesses 130 of the supporting arms125, 126 before the said arms are again thrown inwardly by the stress oftheir springs 127 the replenishing cam 75, Vas shown most clearly inFigs. 2, 21 and 22 is provided with a terminal toe 145 havin@r an abruptface 146 which meets the face 147 of said cam at an obtuse angle, asshown in said igures. ln the rotation of said-replenishing cam 75 inclockwise direction, the outer end of the replenishing or cam lever 92rides quickly down said abrupt face 146 of the toe 145, as indicated indotted lines in Fig. 22. This permits a very rapid, slight, downwardmovement of the shuttle box sufficiently to withdraw the replenishingshuttle 131 below the recesses 130 of the said supper-tine' arms 125,126. The continued downward movement of the shuttle box is less abrupt Yowing to the contour of the face 147 of the replenishing cam 75, and theshuttle box is brought without undue jarinto its lower-v most position,so that the replenishing shuttle rests upon the race of the loom andbecomes the running shuttle.

immediately upon shuttle replenishing, the descent of the shuttlebox'from its position indicated in Figs. 14 and 15, withdraws the boxbelow the arm 133 of the spare shuttle supporting means, and thereuponthe coiled spring '114 at once rocks the spae shuttle supporting meansto the left viewing Fig. r15, into the position shown in Fig. 13.Thereupon the weaver, having supplied theejected shuttle with a filledbobbin or weft carrier, inserts lthe said ejected shuttle (now the spareshuttle) between the arms 125, 126, where it is supported until the nextreplenishing operation. Thus, it will be evident that but two shuttlesare employed and fir that the objections incident to the use of acomparatively large number of replenishing shuttles, such as unevennessof wear, complication of parts and increased cost of operation, areobviated.

lf desired, the shuttle boxV maybe provided with any suitable protectormechanism to stop the loom in the event of improper boxing of theshuttle. For the purpose, there is herein represented in Figs. 9, 10,16, 17 and 18 the usual protector rod 1118 having fast thereon a finger149 which normally engages the outer end of the shuttle binder, asrepresented most clearly in Figs. 9 and 10. ln this embodiment of theinvention, a filling piece 150 is represented below the binder withwhich the inger 149 Vengages when the shuttle box rises for shu*-- tlereplenishment. n

lt will be apparent that when the ruiming shuttle is ejected from theloom, the weft of said shuttle extends from the selvage of the clothoutward and downward to the said ejected shuttle, unless the shuttlehasbeen ejected upon failure ofthe filling. lt will also be apparentthat when the spare shuttle is inserted in the shuttle box, the end ofits weft extends fromthe shuttle to some suitable point of support uponthe loom frame adjacent the said replenishing box. It is thereforeimportant to sever both these weft threads upon shuttle replenishment.For the purpose, in this. embodiment of-the inf vention', there isprovided a thread parter to engage and part both of said weft threadsoutside of and close to the selvage of the cloth,` For this purpose anysuitable thread parter may be employed, but herein for the purpose thereis represented in Figs. 2, 23 and 211 a thread parter, which is notspeciically claimed in this application, but which is claimed in ourco-pending application, Serial No. 7 36,286.

The said thread parter is, however, claimed in its broad aspect incombination with the co-acting devices of the shuttle replenishingmechanism. s

The said thread parter is represente( as a blade 151 terminating in anupwardly directed hoolr 152 having a sharpened weft severing inner edge.rl`his thread parter is preferably provided with an angular slot 153.wherein is received a pin 151i laterally projectingfrom the supportingarm 155 of the loom temple 156 which isV preferably mounted in the usualmanner uponthe upper surface of the breast beam as indicated at 157. Thesaid loom temple is provided with a sheath or guiding bracket projection158 having'a depending guidingmember 159, the said thread parter151being positioned for movement between the main portion of the bracket158 and its guiding member 159 so as to be projected forward therefromas indicatedinfull lines in Fig. 2, or tobe retracted into substantiallythe position indicated -in full lines in Fig. 2a. The thread parter ispreferably operated from the cam shaft 6 and the timing-and operationofthe parts are such that the said thread parter is projected intothread parting position only after the shuttle has been thrown from thatside of the loom at which the said thread parter is mounted. The latter'is projected only upon alternate'beats of the lay as it is actuated fromthe said cam shaft 6,- and therefore at those times when the shutle isin the box at that side of the lay where the parter is mounted', thesaid parter is in its retracted position.

During the normal operation of the loom, therefore, the said threadparter is projected at each alternate beat of the lay when the latter ison its backward beat. At such times the weft thread does not extendbeyond the selvage at that side of the loom where the thread parter ismounted, and when the weft thread is present at such side of the loom,then the thread parter is in its retracted or inactive position andcannot act upon the thread.

In order to actuate the thread parter-as described, there is hereinrepresented as fast upon the said cam shaft 6 a cam 160V (see Fig. 2)adapted to roch a lever 161 shown as having a projection 162 to restupon said cam 160. rlhe forward and shorter arm 163 of said lever 161 isconnected by a slot and pin connection 164'with a vertical lever 165pivoted at 166 upon a bracket 167 secured to the bre/ast beam/of theloom, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2a. The said lever 165 is pivotallyconnected at its upper end as shown at 168 to the said thread parter151.

Assuming that the shuttle is replenished upon substantial exhaustationof the filling and that'the free or loose end of the weft in the spareshuttle is connected to some suit` able braclret or portion of the loomframing, then'when the running shuttle isejected from the loom its weftextends from the guide eye of said'ejected shuttle toward or to theshuttle box at that side of the loom where the thread parter is mounted.Therefore when next the thread parter 151 is projected, it encountersthe said thread which now extends beyond the selvage and said thread isreceived in the hook 152 of the said thread parter and is drawn forwardand severed. Upon the next projecting movement of the thread parter, itencounters said free or loose end of the newly inserted shut tle whichas described extends from the Seli/'age to some suitable point ofattachment on the loom frame and in a similar mannerY severs the same.When the thread is severed, the shuttle is boxed at the opposite side.

ln order to .prevent the filling .thread of the ejected shuttle and ofthe replenishing shuttle from extending below the pathv of operation ofthe thread parter, there is preferably provided a bracket or support 169at the front of the lay adjacent the thread part'er and projectingtoward the same. This bracket is represented as notched or shouldered at170 to engage the thread. The thread is received thereon, and as the laymoves forward the said thread is transferred to the hook 152 of thethread parter 151, which has been projected during the precedingbackward beat of the lay and is now returning or being retracted duringthe forward beat of the lay. 1n order to insure the thread beingdepositedin the hooked end 152, there is preferably imparted a combinedforward and downward projecting movement to the thread parter, asrepresented in dotted lines in Fig. 24, this movement being due to 'theshape of the slot 153. Upon its return movement, the thread parter movesupwardly and backwardly. It will be understood that the thread parter isprojected or moved outwardly during alternate beats of the lay upon thebackward beat thereof and that as the lay beatsup on its next forwardbeat, the thread parter is retracted before the lay can come in contactwith the said thread parter.

It is evident from the foregoing description that the loom and itsreplenishing mechanism are of simple construction, as in the describedembodiment of the invent-ion there is provided but a single shuttle boxat each side of the loom. But two shuttles are employed actingalternately as the spare shuttle, and the weaver need only devote.sufhcient time and attention to the loom to insert a filled bobbin inthe ejected shuttle. As previously stated, the loom is preferablystopped upon weft failure, so that so long as the loom is runningnormallyv and the weft does not break, the weaver can devote all thenecessary time to the other looms under his charge.

It will also be apparent from the foregoing description that the shuttlereplenishing mechanism can readily be applied and with a minimum amountof change and expense to existing types of looms, and particularly tothose having a change shuttle box at one" end thereof. Looms of suchtype are provided with lifting rods, such as the rod 8 8, and this facthasbeen availed of in the construction of the replenishing mechanism. Inthe usual type of loom, there is provided a shuttle box lifting cam uponthe cam shaft. 1n the disclosed embodiment of the present invention suchcam has been omittedand in its place has been substituted thereplenishing cam 75.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of the invention, itis to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they areused in a generic and descriptive sense and not for purposes oflimitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the followingclaims.

Claims:

1. Shuttle replenishing mechanism for looms comprising in combination, alay, a running shuttle-box movable therewith, a member mounted upon ltheloom frame and adapted to support a spare shuttle, means to elevate thefront and back walls of the running shuttle-box away from the bottomwall thereof into inactive position, and means to transfer said spareshuttle-from said supporting` member to said inactively positioned frontand back shuttle box walls.

2. Shuttle replenishing mechanism for looms comprising in combination, alay, a running shuttle-box movable therewith, a member mounted upon theloom frame and adapted to supporta spare shuttle, means to move thefront and back walls of the running shuttle box into inactive positionaway from the bottom wall thereof, means to transfer said :spare shuttlefrom said supporting member to said inactively positioned front and backshuttle box wall and to effect binding of said shuttle by said wallswhen inactively positioned, and means to return said wallsl to activeposition.

3. Shuttle replenishing mechanism for looms comprising in combination alay, a running shuttle-box movable therewith, a supporting member for aspare shuttle, means to move the front and back walls of the runningshuttle-box into inactive position away from the bottom wall thereof andto eifect ejection of the spent shuttle through one of said walls, andmeans to transfer said spare shuttle from said supporting member tovsaid inactively positioned front and back shuttle-box walls.

4:. Shuttle replenishing mechanism for looms comprising in combination,a lay, a running shuttle-box movable therewith, a supporting member fora spare shuttle having means to grasp with pressure said spare shuttleby its tips, means to move said shuttlc-box into inactive position, andmeans to release said spare shuttle from said grasping means of thesupporting member directly into said inactively positioned shuttle box.

5. Shuttle replenishing mechanism for looms comprising in combination alay, a running shuttle-box movable therewith, a supporting member for aspare shuttle, means to move opposed lateral walls of said shuttle boxinto inactive position, means to transfer said spare shuttle from saidsupporting member to said inactive positioned walls of the shuttle boxand to effect binding of the spare shuttle by said inactively positionedwalls, and means to return said shuttle-box to active position.

6. Shuttle replenishing mechanism for means to elevate the shuttle-boxback andV binder from the shuttle box bottom, means to move the binderoutwardly and to effect its return inward movement, and means to insertthe spare shuttle, fromrthe supporting` member, between said back andbinder Y while they are elevated from the shuttle box means to Velevatethe front and back of theV bottom. I

8. Shuttle replenishing mechanism for looms comprising in combination, alay, a running shuttle-box movable therewith, a supporting` member for aspare shuttle, means to Veject the running shuttle from said running boxtoward the front of the loom and means to cause said shuttle boxactively to withdraw the spare shuttle from said supporting member.

9. yShuttle replenishing mechanism for looms comprising in combination,a lay, a running shuttle-box movable therewith, a supporting member fora spare shuttle,

-means to elevate a shuttle-binding portion. of said shuttle-box awayfrom the said boxy bottom and to return it, and means to transfer thespare shuttle from vits support to the said shuttle binding portionwhile the latter' is elevated.

l0. Shuttle replenishing mechanism for vlooms comprisingin combination,a lay, a

running shuttle-box movable therewith, a supporting member for a spareshuttle,

shuttle-box from the lay into position to receive the spare shuttle,means to eject the old shuttle fromithe box as the front and baffi; ofthe latter are elevated, and means to effect movement of the spa-reshuttle from its support downwardly between said elevated front and backof the shuttle box.

il. Shuttle replenishing mechanism for looms comprising in combination,a lay, a running shuttle-box movable therewith, a supporting member fora spare shuttle, conjoint means to elevate the front and back of theshuttle-box from the bottom thereof to receive the spare shuttle and toeject the old shuttle, and means to transfer the spare shuttle from itssupport to the box.

l2. Shuttle replenishing mechanism for loomsY comprising in combination,a lay, a

running shuttle-box movable therewith and having a shuttle graspingportion movable away from vthe shuttle box bottom into shuttle graspingposition, a supporting member for a spare shuttle, means to indicate thesubstantial exhaustion of filling upon a forward beat'of the lay, andmeans to eect the ejection of the exhausted shuttle and the transfer ofthe spare shuttle to said shuttle grasping portion, upon the nextforward beat of the lay.

'13. Shuttle replenishing mechanism for looms comprising in combination,a lay, a running shuttle-box movable therewith, a supporting member for`a spare shuttle, means to elevate the front and back of said box awayfrom the bottom thereof, means to Vindicate the substantial exhaustionof filling upon a forward beat of the lay, and means to effect thetransfer of the spare shuttle from said support to said elevated frontand back box walls, upon the next for- Y ward beat of the lay.

14. Shuttle replenishing mechanismfor looms comprising` in combination,a. lay, a

running shuttle-box movable therewith, ay

spare shuttle support depending from a portion of the loom frame andhaving means to grasp the spare shuttle by its tips, and means to effectthe transfer of the spare shuttle from said depending support to therunning. shuttle-box, said means including means to elevate the Ybackand front walls of the said shuttle box away from the bottom thereof.

l5. Shuttle replenishing mechanism' for looms comprising in combinationa lay, a running shuttle-box movable therewith, means to grasp aspare'shuttle frictionally with pressure by its tips, and means toeffect the transfer of the spare shuttle from said grasping means to therunning shuttle-box, said means including means to elevate a shuttlegrasping portion of said shuttle box.

16. Shuttle replenishing mechanismfor looms comprising in combination alay, a running' shuttle-box movable therewith,A a member rigid with theloom frame at a higher elevation than the normally positionedshuttle-box and having a spare shuttle support, and means to effect thetransfer of the spare shuttle from said lsupport to said runningshuttle-box, said means including means to elevate the front and backwalls of the said shuttle box away from the bottom thereof and to ejectthe running shuttle through said front wall.

17. Shuttle replenishing mechanism for looms comprising in combination alay, a running shuttle-box movable therewith, means to support a spareshuttle by engagement with the ends thereof, and means to transfer thespare shuttle from said supporting means tothe running shuttle-box, saidmeans including running shuttle eject-

